Thulite is a manganese-bearing variety of zoisite characterized by its distinct rose-pink to reddish-pink color. It typically occurs in massive or granular form within metamorphic rocks and is highly prized by lapidary collectors for carving and cabochons.
Is this thulite?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch thulite with a known reference. Thulite sits at Mohs 6-6.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Thulite leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Thulite typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: pink, reddish-pink, rose-red.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: orthorhombic. Typical habit: massive, granular, rarely prismatic.
Often confused with
Thulite vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside thulite
Minerals reported to co-occur with thulite. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- Ca₂Al₃(SiO₄)₃(OH)
- Mohs hardness
- 6-6.5
- Density
- 3.1-3.4 g/cm³
- Colors
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Translucent
- Crystal system
- Orthorhombic
- Crystal habit
- Massive, Granular, Rarely Prismatic
- Cleavage
- Perfect
- Rarity
- Uncommon
- Uses
- Collector, Lapidary, Decorative
- Host rock
- Metamorphic Rocks, Specifically Hydrothermally Altered Limestone and Skarns
- Typical price
- $10-50 for rough slabs, $50-200 for polished display specimens
Where rockhounds find thulite
8 mapped spotsClassic worldwide localities
- Leksvik, Norway
- Telemark, Norway
- Otter Lake, Canada
- San Bernardino County, USA
- Aust-Agder, Norway
Field-hunting tip
Look in metamorphic rocks, specifically hydrothermally altered limestone and skarns country — that is the host setting where thulite typically forms. If you start seeing calcite, quartz, tremolite in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a massive, granular, rarely prismatic habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop. In the U.S., the densest reported localities are in Nevada, North Carolina, Georgia — start trip planning there.
Common questions
How do you identify thulite?+
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Find thulite on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
